CERTIFICATION

Manawatu Standard, Volume LVII, Issue 157, 4 June 1937, Page 9

CERTIFICATION

APPLICATION TO SHEEP. LECTURE BY MR A. H. COCKAYNE. “Live Stock Improvement Schemes and Some Aspects of Certification” was the subject of an address given yesterday at the annual gathering of sheep farmers at Massey College by the Di-rector-General of Agriculture (Mr A. H. Cockayne). The speaker first dealt with plant certification comparing some of the principles with those of any system of animal certification, and ho then touched on some aspects of the latter, as to whether or not the adoption of some type of sheep certification would be to the advantage of the New Zealand sheep farmer. Whether or not some such system would he of advantage to sheep breeders was another matter, he said, amid laughter. In New Zealand the Department of Agriculture had gone a certain way along the lines or plant certification, Mr Cockayne proceeded. In regard to potatoes, there were two aims—that tho crop was true, and that there was not more than a certain percentage (two) of disease in the crop. That was confined to certification ot variety and freedom from disease. It had resulted in u doubling of tho crops treated, that being due to the elimination of virus disease in the crops. The whole principle of certification of perennial ryegrass was that the crop should ho a true and not a false one. Examination by ultra-violet light had now been developed to a position whereby some reliance could be placed on its results. Picric acid had been used in testing white clover for performance •in the same manner, with dependable results. Animal certification was required for a different purpose in regard to the buyer than crop certification, added Mr Cockayne. The buyer wanted animals to improve his flock. In plants the certified material provided the improved material in itself; it was not wanted to improve other material. In animals the buyer tended to get the worst, either because the breeder wanted the best himself or that the prico was beyond the buyer’s means. The farmer thus went along the line of purchasing culls instead of securing the very best, as with seed certification. In sugar beet, however, the buying of seed was more or less in line with the buying of animals. In animal breeding the animal actually secured might not he capable of improving the stock to which it was applied—it might even lead to the opposite of improving it. There had been a.u improvement in the ability of farmers to get the animals they required, through stock improvement schemes, by the prohibition of the sale of animals not giving the required standard of excellence. There was such a scheme in Ireland. Personally, he was not in favour of such a system of certification, which eliminated certain animals after they had been judged. Certification'and judging were poles apart, in his view. He was iu favour of animals being certified for some definitely ascertainable characteristic, though, and if the presence or absence of that was correlated with the power of the animal to improve, stock, then that certification must he of some value. PURITY IN PLANTS.

Tli'o most outstanding case, the speaker proceeded, was hereditary tmsouiKlness of stallions, and yet after 50 years of talking about it we were no nearer the solution. To eliminate certain animals in order to do away with objectionable characteristics was a good instance of animal certification. In plants the certified line was one which reproduced with absolute purity under proper conditions, but that was different with animals. In plants virtual purity could be obtained without any loss of vigour, but that could not be said in regard to animals. One of the great weaknesses in regard to certification of animals was that so much depended on the personal opinion of the judge, and that the judge had to take so many characteristics into consideration while lie could not be sure that the characteristics would be transmitted. Herd testing provided the best known system of the equivalent of certification in New Zealand, yet even in that it was not necessarily true that high producers, when mated, would produce a high testing animal. Animal certification had to be connected with the genetical make-up of the animal, and that presented very great difficulty. “As you all know, a system of voluntary certification, based on personal judgment, was brought in a season or so ago and lasted for one season,” said Mr Cockayne. “One feels that such a system is never likely to be particularly popular, nor particularly successful from the viewpoint that too often will be quoted the certified animal that is said to have given far inferior results to the uncertified one, land particularly the objection that as such certification is based on personal opinion, and that opinion is likely to vary, certain prejudices will appear. A third feature that makes judgment certification liable to great criticism is the contention that certain flocks are far inferior to other flocks in the ability to withstand conditions different from those where they have been bred. Nearly all the objections to judgment certification are really connected up with the objection the breeder has of being told which of his culls he should not sell.” Mr J. E. Hewitt (Mangamaire) asked if the speaker could give any suggestion as to a system of measurements for the certification of animals to eliminate the human element, and the speaker replied that lie could not give the slightest indication. He left that with his audience. (Laughter.) It was mentioned by another member of the audience that in Australia definite measurements were followed in certification of Merino sheep. Mr Cockayne emphasised, in reply to further questions, tha.t investigation from the standpoint of the ewe was required in regard to the improvement of flocks. This could well bo followed up. It was true, in one way, that the ram was “half the flock,” but there were a large number of ewes to every ram iu a. flock.

A vote of thanks was accorded Mr Cockayne on the proposal of Professor G. 8. Peren, principal of the College.